After being taken to the banquet hall - now money donations to the bridal couple are examined

The police force's efforts to regulate Södertälje's eleven banquet halls are only part of a joint effort by the authorities against what the police named "Platform Wedding". And the latest in the line of efforts is to investigate the gifts that wedding guests are giving extensively to bridal couples in the form of cash.

- It is a relatively new phenomenon in Sweden, it is culturally different with money gifts. The Swedish Tax Agency wants to see if the money given in the gift can be considered as some kind of payment for the wedding, says Södertalje Police, Jonas Packalén, one of the persons responsible for the checks of the banquet halls.

The lavish wedding machinery in Södertälje is extensive and although the high season is in summer it is intense even the rest of the year. And according to the police, the money that is in scrolling cannot be traced.

- Every wedding involves a lot of money. We often talk about half a million SEK per wedding or more and each party floor has 30-50 weddings per year. There are payments for local, food, staff, performances, photography, flowers, alcohol and gifts. Nevertheless, very little is paid in tax, there are many millions that disappear somewhere and that is what the Swedish Tax Agency should look into. Where does this money go? adds Jonas Packalén.

This is one in the line of efforts against wedding parties in Södertälje. Why is this done only in Södertälje when there are similar weddings around the country?

- The reason we start with the efforts here is that there is no equivalent in the country with so many banquet halls. The goal is to spread the method to the whole country then, police say.

SVT has applied to the Swedish Tax Agency for a comment.